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June 2007 To all AHA postgraduates and other interested members, This is the first of what will hopefully be a regular report of the Postgraduate Representative on the AHA Executive. My name is Anna Doukakis, and I'm the AHA PG rep for 2006-2008. I'm a second year PhD student at the University of New South Wales, studying education and the early women's movements in colonial British Malaya. I've also worked in Australian history, particularly in the fields of political and Aboriginal history. Membership and Benefits We're in the midst of a membership drive, so please mention the AHA to all your colleagues. We offer extremely good value membership and conference fees, and are an organization for all historians, not just those studying Australian history. For those of you who have been members for a while, the Yahoo forum is no longer one of the duties of the PG rep. Instead we are in the process of putting together a specific PG email list which will keep us all in touch. Also keep an eye on our rather spiffy website as it continues to develop: In particular, I recommend that you all have a look at the prizes available through the AHA, as at least some of you will be eligible: Online subscriptions to History Australia are available, featuring audio and visual content, reference linking, and full text searching available exclusively online (for those who are concerned about future access to electronic volumes, they become widely available after 2 years). It's a very convenient way of accessing the journal, and the AV aspects enhance the experience significantly, as well as being cutting edge for a history journal in Australia. Conferences The 2007 Regional Conference at UNE in Armidale in September is shaping up nicely, please see the website: http://www.theaha.org.au/conf.html. I'm going to be in London while it's on (poor me, I hear you all think), so if there is a PG out there who is interested in serving as the rep for that conference then it would be much appreciated. Just send me an email and I'll fill you in on all the details. As PG members, you will be able to attend at the special rate. The 2008 conference in Melbourne is also in the planning stages, with some great ideas for specific postgraduate meetings, events and socialising, as well as the wider conference as a whole. It is anticipated that the call for papers will open in September, with a December deadline. More information on themes and keynote speakers will be released as it becomes available - keep an eye on the website and in History Australia for details. National Archives Reference Group Last year I attended a Reference Group meeting at the National Archives. There are some fascinating projects going on there at the moment, including work with digitising the archives and Digitisation on Demand. For those who don't know about this initiative, researchers can request that the archives digitise items or sections from their collection and make them available on the internet. Hence there is the possibility of accessing a substantial number of sources without having to travel to Canberra. Obviously, sensitive material is problematic, and there is also a waiting period of up to six months in some cases. However, it is still an extremely useful option for those who know well in advance what materials they will need. Overwhelmingly the holdings of the National Archives are accessed electronically rather than through its reading rooms in Canberra and other major cities. As a result, some opening hours in these branches are being scaled back, so it is worth checking with your local branch in advance if you are planning a research visit. The archives are also involved in a number of interesting projects to supply supporting materials for schools, though there have been some problems with their new systems. Anyway, it's worth a visit to their WEBPAGE. It was a fascinating day, and thanks to the AHA and the Archives for making it possible for me to attend. Please contact me with any questions, suggestions or comments. Suggestions of articles, forums, links and other information for our recently updated Postgraduate web page are also most welcome, as well as any ideas for gaining more postgraduate members and enhancing the AHA Postgraduate network. I look forward to meeting you all, Anna Doukakis |
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